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Mario Kart Tears It Up

The map screen even shows item boxes and hazards, so it's an invaluable resource.

Courtesy of Nintendo

I was raised on Mario Kart. If I see stock-car racing on television, I wonder why they're not firing missiles made out of turtle shells at each other.

That's why you can believe me when I say that Mario Kart DS is easily the killer app for Nintendo's double-screened portable. Not only is the eight-player battle-racing action as tight as ever, but a host of new gameplay modes – including online races – make this the most attractive entry in the series yet.

Mario Kart is the game that launched a thousand mascots-in-go-karts knockoffs, and it's still the only one worth playing. The eclectic cast of characters – including but not limited to plumbers, princesses, giant monkeys and undead turtles – speed around sprawling, colorfully decorated tracks filled with hairpin turns and giant obstacles, trying to edge each other out in the race for the finish line.

Should you plan to play Mario Kart DS solo, there's plenty of challenge and reward. The 34 tracks – half original, half pulled from previous games in the series – can be played through in three difficulty levels.

A new addition to the single-player experience is Missions mode, in which you are subjected to a variety of increasingly difficult challenges. This proves to be an addictive time-waster as well as an excellent way to build up expert-level skills (like powersliding, a technique that lets you speed up around corners rather than slow down).

But the meat of Mario Kart is in the multiplayer, which the DS version has in spades. Up to eight players can connect wirelessly at once. Players without a copy of the game can still play, but are restricted to one character.

Players can choose either to race, which works just like the single-player game, or battle. In the battle mode, players roam around a wide-open arena, firing weapons at each other in a last-kart-standing showdown.

As the flagship title for Nintendo's recently launched online gameplay service, Mario Kart DS' most anticipated feature is the online matchups. Using practically any public or private wireless internet connection, you can race against up to three other players from anywhere in the world.

The Wi-Fi connection mode works smoothly – the races feel just like the local multiplayer matches, with zero lag. The game generates a "friend code" that you can give to your pals; if you enter each other's codes you can add each other to a Friends list and keep tabs on their win/loss record.

Although I appreciate how easy it is to get online and start racing, I was disappointed in the lack of options once you're connected. For example, if you want to race against a specific group of friends, you'd have to delete everyone else from your list.

But that's just a scratch on the paint that doesn't keep Mario Kart DS from screaming across the finish line. If you have a DS, this is the game to own.